A racism case involving the Republic of Ireland has been closed by FIFA due to insufficient evidence.
A Republic of Ireland Under-21 substitute was allegedly racially abused as he warmed up during a friendly match against Kuwait Under-22s in Austria on June 19.
The Irish players walked off the field in response to the alleged incident and the match was abandoned.
The PA news agency reported in September that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had submitted a formal complaint concerning the matter to FIFA, but football’s world governing body FIFA has now confirmed that the case has been closed.
The FAI said at the time of the alleged incident: “The comment was heard by a number of Ireland players, who reported this immediately to match officials as well as to members of the Ireland and Kuwait team staff.
“Due to the nature of the remark made and with no affirmative action in relation to it from our opponents, the game was abandoned. FAI staff and players were fully in support with this decision.
“The FAI has offered its full and unequivocal support to the player who was subjected to racism and to his team-mates. The FAI does not tolerate any racism towards any of our players or staff.”
The FAI has been approached for comment regarding the closure of the case.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously spoken about his organisation’s determination to tackle racism.
Speaking in June, prior to the Republic of Ireland allegation, Infantino said: “(Racism) is a football-related problem and we mustn’t look for excuses like, ‘It’s society’s problem, therefore, it’s fine in football’.
“In the world of football, we must act in a very forceful way.”
He added: “There is no football if there is racism. So let’s stop the games.
“The referees have this opportunity in FIFA competitions as we have this process for stopping the game, and actions have to be taken at every level, at national level as well. Everyone has to understand this and we will go, together, until the end.”
FIFA has issued sanctions on discrimination cases in the past, with the football associations of Ecuador, Mexico and Serbia given partial or full stadium closure orders and hit with fines in relation to misconduct by their supporters at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
As part of the Social Media Protection Service, teams and players at that tournament were offered access to software that – with the account holder’s permission – could automatically and instantly hide abusive and offensive comments on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube only.
Through the moderation element of the service, a total of 286,895 comments were hidden from public view before the targeted recipient or their followers had to see their contents.
Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has won his first Wales senior call-up for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.
York-born Huggins qualifies for Wales through his Bangor-born father and has won four caps at Under-21 level.
The 22-year-old former Leeds full-back has been rewarded after some excellent performances for Sunderland which included his first senior goal, a stunning solo effort against Watford at the Stadium of Light.
Brennan Johnson returns after injury for two games that will determine whether Wales qualify automatically for next summer’s European Championship in Germany.
Tottenham forward Johnson missed last month’s 2-1 victory over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia with a hamstring injury.
Johnson’s Spurs team-mate Ben Davies is named in Rob Page’s 23-strong squad, despite missing his club’s 4-1 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Monday with an ankle problem.
Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell is also included after serving a two-game suspension.
Morrell, who was sent off in the 2-0 away defeat to Turkey in June, replaces Hibernian’s Dylan Levitt.
Regan Poole and Wes Burns were both involved in last month’s friendly against Gibraltar but miss out this time after picking up respective knee and shoulder injuries.
Charlie Savage, Josh Low, Luke Harris and Owen Beck are also absent and set to return to the under-21 set-up for their Euro qualifiers against Iceland and Denmark this month.
Tom King is third-choice goalkeeper, with Adam Davies yet to recover from the injury which forced his departure from the Wales camp before the Gibraltar game.
Skipper Aaron Ramsey is unavailable because of a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last two months.
Wales meet Armenia in Yerevan on November 18 before welcoming Turkey to Cardiff three days later – and two wins would see them qualify for a third successive European Championships.
Group leaders Turkey have already booked their spot at Euro 2024 with Wales, Armenia and Croatia contesting the second automatic place.
If they fail to make the top two, Wales are guaranteed a play-off place in March through their top-tier status in the last edition of the Nations League.
Full squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), T King (Wolves), B Davies (Tottenham), J Rodon (Leeds, on loan from Tottenham), T Lockyer (Luton), C Mepham (Bournemouth), B Cabango (Swansea), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), C Roberts (Burnley), N Huggins (Sunderland), E Ampadu (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), J James (Birmingham), J Morrell (Portsmouth), H Wilson (Fulham), D Brooks (Bournemouth), D James (Leeds), N Broadhead (Ipswich), L Cullen (Swansea), B Johnson (Tottenham), K Moore (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall).
Pep Guardiola has claimed Manchester City could be “in trouble” following John Stones’ latest injury setback.
The treble winners are awaiting assessments of the England defender after he was forced off with a knock in Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League stroll against Young Boys.
Stones only returned to action in October after a two-month lay-off with hamstring and hip problems.
Manager Guardiola said he feared the 29-year-old could be out “for a while” with the muscular problem and described the blow as “deep bad news”.
Stones has been revelatory for City playing in a hybrid defence-midfield role and Guardiola feels he complements central anchor Rodri perfectly.
Much was made of the fact Rodri was suspended when City lost three successive games earlier in the campaign, but Guardiola believes the absence of Stones was equally crucial.
He said: “The problem is we play John and Rodri at the same time – now we are in trouble, because we have to play a bit differently, like happened in Arsenal.
“We do not feel comfortable still, we are not prepared to change many variations.”
City hardly broke sweat as they brushed past the Swiss champions to secure their place in the last 16 for an 11th consecutive year.
The holders have won all four of their matches in Group G and are through with two matches to spare.
Erling Haaland made light of the ankle problem that curtailed him against Bournemouth last weekend to open the scoring with a penalty and added the third goal with a powerful long-range strike.
It was yet another dominant performance from the Norway striker, who has now scored 39 goals in 34 career Champions League appearances and 15 in all competitions this season.
Opposition captain Mohamed Ali Camara even asked to swap shirts with the 23-year-old at half-time, something which drew criticism in some quarters.
“I’m a little bit surprised about that right now,” admitted Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky, whose side failed to muster a single shot and had midfielder Sandro Lauper sent off in the second half. “I’ll probably have a word with him.”
None of this worried Guardiola, whose side looked comfortable with Phil Foden also on the scoresheet.
“It’s not normal, but I don’t know the reason why it happened,” he said. “It’s not a big subject for me right now.”
City’s remaining task in the group will be to secure top spot, and a theoretically favourable draw, in the first knockout round. They face second-placed RB Leipzig at home later this month before wrapping up the stage at Red Star Belgrade.
Midfielder Matheus Nunes said: “We cannot look at those two games as spare because we want to get through as first place, and that’s what we will try to do now.
“We will focus on Chelsea now, but when those games come we will be ready because we want to win both of them.”
Kieran Trippier is refusing to give up on Newcastle’s Champions League dream after a bruising night in Dortmund left them with a mountain to climb.
The Magpies, playing in the competition for the first time in 20 years, sat proudly at the top of Group F on October 4 after a thumping 4-1 victory over Paris St Germain.
A little more than a month on, back-to-back defeats a the hands of Borussia Dortmund – the second of them a 2-0 reverse at the Signal Iduna Stadium on Tuesday evening – left them at the bottom of the pile with just two games to play, although former Tottenham full-back Trippier knows from personal experience how quickly things can change.
View this post on Instagram
The 33-year-old, who swiftly turned his attention to Saturday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth, said: “When I was at Tottenham, we had Barcelona and Inter Milan in our group and everyone said it was done, but never say never.
“We got to the final that year, so it is a never-say-die attitude from us. We can’t control what happens, we just have to focus on Bournemouth and forget this.”
Newcastle’s current haul of four points from four games is equal to what Trippier’s Spurs had managed by the same point in 2018-19, when defeats by Inter and Barcelona were followed by a draw at PSV Eindhoven and then a 2-1 home win over the Dutch outfit.
They eventually secured second place in Group B by beating the Italians in north London and then drawing at the Nou Camp, where substitute Lucas Moura’s late equaliser ensured they edged out the Serie A giants before going on to reach the final in Madrid, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Five years on, Trippier and his current team-mates will travel to Paris later this month ahead of AC Milan’s December visit to St James’ Park, knowing they may need to win both games to make it out of the group and their chances of doing so could depend largely on how far their injury problems have abated.
Head coach Eddie Howe was without Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson and Javier Manquillo, as well as the suspended Sandro Tonali, in Germany and returned with Callum Wilson nursing a tight hamstring.
He will hope key defender Botman and striker Isak at least can play a part in the remaining group games, although Trippier was in no mood to use the selection crisis as an excuse.
He said: “Everybody has to stand up. There are always going to be injuries in football.
“The good thing about us is that as a team and a manager, we don’t make excuses. Everybody feels valued in this team and we have a strong bond as a team.
“The reality is we are missing a lot of key players. But you look at Manchester United away and Arsenal at home and we’ve got good results, so there are no excuses from us. Whatever team the manager picks, we give everything.”
Newcastle headed back to Tyneside wondering what might have been after passing up opportunities to cancel out Niclas Fullkrug’s opener when Lewis Hall’s driven cross from a short corner move evaded all his team-mates and Joelinton sent a close-range header wide, and they were made to pay when Julian Brandt cemented the win late on.
Trippier said: “These are the fine margins. We had a great chance from the set-piece routine – on another day it is a tap in, Joelinton’s header.
“There was nothing in the game, but at this level, it is about being clinical.”
What the papers say
Arsenal’s Thomas Partey reportedly wants out of the Premier League club with Italian giants Juventus considering tabling an offer in the January transfer window, the Daily Mail reports. The 30-year-old has played 85 games for Arsenal since his arrival in 2020.
Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries but – according to the Daily Mail via Italian newspaper CalcioMercato – the club has slapped a £43million asking price on the 27-year-old Netherlands international.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Lloyd Kelly: The 25-year-old Bournemouth defender has attracted interest from Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and AC Milan, but his club will reportedly turn down any approaches for him, Teamtalk reports.
Andre: Liverpool, Arsenal and Fulham have sent representatives to watch the 22-year-old Fluminense midfielder in the Copa Libertadores final. The Brazilian reportedly has an agreement to leave the South American champions in January for around £30million, Portuguese outlet Globo Esporte says.
Reigning champions Jamaica College revived their chances of a successful title defence, while Kingston College made a big statement, as both registered victories in their respective ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup quarterfinal encounters at Stadium East field on Tuesday.
Davion Ferguson’s Jamaica College, who lost their first contest to Hydel High, returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High in Group Two.
Elsewhere in the group, many-time champions St George’s College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with Hydel at the Ashenheim Stadium.
With those results, St George’s College remain atop the group on four points, same as Hydel but with a slightly better goal difference. Jamaica College occupies third position on three points, with Tivoli Gardens now out of contention for a semi-final berth.
In Group Two, Jaheim McLean’s all-important goal lifted Kingston College to a 1-0 win over perennial rivals St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in a clash which was a repeat of last year’s semi-finals.
It was another lively clash between the two that could have gone either way, but Mclean’s 18th-minute strike proved the difference, as Mona High and St Catherine high played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other group fixture.
The win saw the North Street-based Kingston College to the summit of the group on four points, one ahead of STATHS, while Mona (two points) and St Catherine (one point), remain in contention heading into Friday’s final round of games.
In the feature contest at Stadium East, Kingston College fired the first warning shot through Demario Dailey, who attempted an acrobatic finish that just went wide of the target.
STATHS settled into their rhythm and controlled the tempo of the game from there on, as they created a few half chances of their own which they failed to make count.
The Bumper Hall-based team was caught napping when a quickly taken freekick found McLean open and the player sporting the number 10 jersey had a decent first touch and an even better finish to send the North Street fans into a frenzy.
Though Kingston College led the contest, STATHS looked the more dominant outfit and the Phillip Williams-coached team almost pulled level on the stroke of halftime. A delightful strike from Alexavier Gooden from about 40 yards out rattled the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the goal line.
STATHS maintained the momentum on the resumption and should have pulled level three minutes in, but Andre Salmon went for power instead of accuracy from deep inside the 18-yard box. He was left annoyed by his poor decision.
With Kingston College content on sitting back, STATHS again went close in the 70th minute. Taraine Hall found time and space inside the final third for a stinging left-footed effort that was well saved by Malique Williams diving to his left.
The famed purples, much like they did at the start, had the last attack of the game, but Dailey’s effort from a distance came off the upright.
Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his young charges for their execution.
“I am very proud. It was a tough game, we knew it was going to come down to the last 20 minutes, so we relied on fitness. I believe we are a lot fitter than we think, so kudos to the boys they have been working very hard and I think it was a masterful performance from them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.
His counterpart Williams also felt his team gave a good showing.
“It was a good performance, we turned off one time and we got punished, but apart from that, the guys displayed some good football. This is a setback because it makes the last game (against Mona) a little tougher, but we have to go and do what we have to do,” he noted.
Tuesday’s results
Group One
Mona 1, St Catherine 1
Kingston College 1, STATHS 0
Group Two
Jamaica College 2, Tivoli High 1
St George’s College 1, Hydel High 1
Friday’s fixtures
Group One
STATHS vs Mona
Kingston College vs St Catherine
Group Two
Hydel High vs Tivoli High
Jamaica College vs St George’s College
Manchester City defender John Stones is facing a lay-off after suffering an injury in the holders’ Champions League stroll against Young Boys on Tuesday.
The England international was withdrawn at half-time at the Etihad Stadium.
Manager Pep Guardiola described the loss of Stones as the “deep bad news” from a night when City secured their place in the last 16 for an 11th successive year with an otherwise straightforward 3-0 win.
Guardiola said: “It’s muscular, he is injured, so he’ll be a while out. It is a pity for him because he’s an incredible professional.
“He tried to do it but it’s bad news for us. It’s the deep bad news for tonight.”
The news is a further blow for Stones, who has already missed two months of the season with a hamstring problem.
Fellow defender Manuel Akanji also missed the game after a blow to the back in training but, despite looking “75 years old” in Guardiola’s words, the manager added “hopefully it will not be a big issue and he could be ready for Sunday”.
One player apparently untroubled was Erling Haaland, who made light of the ankle problem that curtailed him on Saturday to score two of City’s goals in a one-sided encounter with the Swiss champions.
Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet as City won their fourth Group G game in succession to secure progress with two games to spare.
Guardiola said of Haaland, who was substituted on the hour: “Yesterday we saw how he moved and how happy he was and he felt good. I said, OK and for us he’s so important.
“After the job was almost done, he took a rest for (the game against Chelsea on) Sunday.”
Guardiola was pleased with his side’s achievement but, with RB Leipzig three points behind, maintained he would not ease up until top spot in the group was secured.
He said: “We’ve already qualified but still the job is not done because we have to finish first. It’s better to have the second leg in the last 16 at home than away because at home we feel confident.
“Still you have a job to do but the first step is done and I’m really impressed.”
It was a miserable night for Young Boys, who ended the game with 10 men after Sandro Lauper was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Coach Raphael Wicky said: “We’re obviously not happy. We’re not happy with the performance we’ve made but we know it’s very difficult to get something here.
“We knew if we want to get a point or a win, we needed to have the perfect game.
“I saw some good stuff in the first half but it’s very difficult to defend against Man City. They always have chances.”
Reading manager Ruben Selles urged his team to be more ruthless in front of goal after a scrappy 1-1 home draw with Bristol Rovers in League One.
Bottom-of-the-table Reading went ahead five minutes before the interval when striker Sam Smith rifled in his first goal of the season.
But Rovers levelled in the 57th minute when former Reading loanee Chris Martin lofted a fine shot over home keeper David Button.
Reading are now winless in eight league matches.
“Football is all about moments and we had a moment to make it 2-0 [Harvey Knibbs’ chance shortly before half-time],” Selles said.
“Then, in the second half, they scored their goal. But we had many situations to score our second one and we didn’t do it.
“When we did make that pressure with that action from Sam, it was good that he got his goal.
“But we can be better in this area, with our finishing. We had a lot of ball in the opposition half but in those situations, we need to get in more shots and more shots on target.
“We made a lot of turnarounds, when we won the ball, but we made some mistakes after that.
“If we want to be competitive, we have to take advantage of these good positions.
“It is not about individual players missing these chances, it is about all of us. We have been in these situations before. It is as a team that we need to take these chances.
”We have been making a rotation in our League One squad. And I have been trying to be consistent with 80 per cent of the team.
“When we make our selections, we always try to have some options.”
Rovers caretaker manager Andy Mangan is now unbeaten in three league and FA Cup matches in charge since replacing the sacked Joey Barton last month.
“The feeling in the dressing room, it’s really frustrated,” Mangan said. “I feel like the result has cost us three points.
“We’ve created several chances, going right through to the very end.
“We felt like we played well throughout and we had the better chances over the 90 minutes. We all know that.
“We cost ourselves on the first goal. And it’s always hard when you’re 1-0 down.
“But we showed a lot of guts in the team to come back. We were really positive at half-time.
“We came out firing in the second half. The first 20 minutes, we managed to get that goal.
“And although we might have dropped off a bit after that, I still thought we should have won the game in the end.”
New St Johnstone boss Craig Levein feels there is plenty of room for optimism despite the disappointment of seeing his side squander a two-goal lead against Motherwell.
Goals from Nicky Clark and Andy Considine had Saints in control at McDiarmid Park, though they would have to settle for a share of the spoils after conceding twice in the space of six second-half minutes.
It means Levein’s side remain bottom of the cinch Premiership table, though have moved within two points of Livingston in 11th.
“It’s obvious disappointment to be two-zero in front, have a fairly firm grip on the match – no manager would sit here and say he’s pleased with losing two goals in the second half,” he said.
“There were a lot of good things that I saw, we played some good football, created chances, scored two goals, and it was always the case that Motherwell would come into the game at some point, we just got spooked by it.
“The pleasing thing for me was at two each we started to grow again and we might have won it at the death. I’m disappointed, but not bitterly disappointed.”
Levein returned to the dugout for a Premiership match for the first time since October 2019, having taken up the managerial reins at Saints on Sunday.
It was the second time he has seen his new team in action and although he admitted to not enjoying being back in the dugout, the former Hearts and Dundee United boss believes he can help guide his new club to safety.
“I don’t know if it’s ever enjoyment, it’s just in the blood and a craving for torture,” he added.
“That’s two games I’ve watched, the Kilmarnock game and this game.
“There’s things that we can do better defensively for sure, the midfield looks pretty promising and we’ve got three good strikers as well.
“If I can keep everybody fit and keep working on the way we want to play then things will improve.”
Stuart Kettlewell praised the fighting spirting of his Motherwell side, though he insists it is time they stop giving themselves a mountain to climb.
Shane Blaney headed in with 22 minutes left before Mika Biereth turned home to complete the comeback for the Steelmen, who were booed off by the travelling fans at half-time.
“Disappointment is probably an understatement, it was sheer anger at half-time – it was anger from the players but especially myself and the staff,” Kettlewell said.
“We let ourselves down with two corners into our box, we don’t defend them properly.
“I think the players dragged themselves in by making better decisions and being much better on the front foot.
“I have to commend the players, I could sit here and continually be negative because it’s not what I want – I didn’t want to come here and get a point, I wanted to come and try to get three, as did the players and the supporters.
“I think in terms of the chances we created, I think we certainly at least deserved to get out of here with a point but I hate being in that position where you are fighting against the tide and having to show that much character to try drag ourselves back into the game.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers likened modern football to a “computer game” after claiming Daizen Maeda was sent off following a needless VAR intervention in his side’s 6-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid.
Maeda saw a yellow card upgraded to red following a VAR review midway through the first half at the Estadio Metropolitano, but Rodgers felt referee made the right call initially.
The Japanese attacker dangled a leg in a 50-50 challenge with Mario Hermoso, who hurt himself as he followed through.
Celtic were already trailing to a deflected strike from Antoine Griezmann and Atletico took full advantage of the numerical superiority. Griezmann and Alvaro Morata both struck doubles, while Samuel Lino and Saul Niguez also scored as Atletico hit a string of spectacular second-half goals.
Rodgers said: “I think the red card is a big turning point. We started well, started with confidence, got into some really good areas. We then get a man sent off early, which was a huge disappointment because I didn’t feel it was a red card.
“When you watch the re-run, both players kick each other’s feet. The referee saw that in game time and then he is asked to look at it.
“The first image he sees is not representative of the actual challenge. You plant a seed when the first image he sees is Daizen Maeda’s foot up, but that wasn’t the challenge and it’s a really, really soft red card.
“For a team coming here with 11 against 11, you would need to be at your real max to get something out the game and losing a man early, it becomes a real challenge and we tire and they scored some fantastic goals.”
Rodgers was angered by the reaction of the Atletico bench after the Maeda challenge, with boss Diego Simeone and six or seven colleagues racing into the technical area to remonstrate.
He said: “They will play the game, they are obviously trying to get our player sent off.
“Listen, it’s still up to the ref. You come away in Europe and a place like this where it’s an emotional stadium, everyone will add pressure.
“The ref saw it in game time and didn’t deem it worthy of anything so serious, but it just feels like a computer game now, football. So many visits to the screen, so many influences in the game.
“As time has gone on you see the influence of VAR and the difficulties referees have. There’s a lot of judgements going on away from the field.
“It’s not so much the technology, but how it is implemented. It’s not something I enjoy.
“When it first came out I was very much wanting to support it and hoped it would improve the game, because I think everyone thought the utopia of VAR would mean we would lose all these bad decisions.
“But you could argue there’s even more now. There’s a good percentage where it just doesn’t feel right in the game.”
Rodgers maintained a 4-3-2 formation after the red card, with Oh Hyeon-gyu coming on at half-time.
“You have seen my teams enough back home,” he said. “Whenever we lose a man it’s having that structure.
“Listen, you can have any structure you want, it can be very, very difficult against that level of opponent. It just didn’t work for us so we have to take our medicine.”
Celtic remain bottom of Group E but are still not eliminated from the Champions League, although they will need to beat both Lazio and Feyenoord and hope Atletico do them some favours to stay in Europe beyond Christmas.
Rodgers said: “We knew we had to take something from this game, but with Lazio winning as well, our objective with two games to go is to get points and see if we can improve on last season’s points total.”
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson bemoaned “two individual errors” for his side’s 2-1 League One defeat at Wigan.
The hosts had enjoyed the better of the first half, with on-loan Fulham winger Martial Godo giving them a sixth-minute lead and Jordan Jones hitting the bar.
But a formation change helped to transform the game after the break, with Kwame Poku equalising nine minutes after the restart, and David Ajiboye sending another shot whistling just past the Wigan post.
Just as it looked as though Posh would force a second goal, however, Wigan struck with eight minutes to go through substitute Callum McManaman, whose rasping strike from the edge of the box secured all three points.
“It’s a bad result,” acknowledged Ferguson, whose side lost for the first time in 10 league matches.
“To lose any game is a bad result but, given the nature of the game, it’s a very bad result.
“In terms of how the game went, two individual errors have cost us. When you’re playing against a team like Wigan, they are a good team, but they gave us a lot of respect.
“They sat back off us, they changed their shape, they were happy for us to have the ball at the back, and it was too slow.
“Once they get the goal, it becomes very difficult. And the goals we conceded stopped any kind of momentum we tried to get in the game.
“In saying that, in the second half I thought we were excellent and we still should have got something out of the game.
“The formation change worked, we dominated them, and we were getting one-on-ones out wide against a winger (Jordan Jones). We had to isolate him, we managed to do that, and we caused them all sorts of problems.
“Look, a lot of the performance was very good, and a lot of the details were very good.
“To come to Wigan and do what we’ve done, when they were penned in, is very good. But individual errors have cost us a result.”
For Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, it was a fifth win in six matches, against a side he feels will be up there at the end of the campaign.
“It was a brilliant win against a really good team,” he said.
“When I analysed Peterborough, I watched one of their games, and it was probably the most impressive performance I’d seen so far this season. And we’ve played some really good teams. Portsmouth, Oxford, to name two.
“I really enjoyed the first half, we tried to limit their space, and when they had the ball, I really liked what we did.
“In the second half, they came out really aggressive, and when they equalised, all the momentum was with them. I felt like there was a 15-20 minute period when it could have gone either way.
“Then we have that bit of magic from Cal at the end, and then we have to defend with everything we had. Sometimes the games you win like that, they give you more joy.
“I have to say again, I thought it was a brilliant game, and a huge win against a team I genuinely feel will come very close to the top two at the end of the season.”
Bolton boss Ian Evatt was pleased with how his side defended after a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury made it four consecutive League One away victories.
The triumph helped the Trotters pile the pressure on second-placed Oxford, with whom they are now level on points.
It was a game of few chances for both sides, but the visitors were the more clinical.
Paris Maghoma’s long-range effort trickled through the palms of the injured Marko Marosi and Aaron Morley confirmed all three points after he found the bottom corner in additional time.
Evatt said: “This is a tough place to come, they are a big physical strong team, every player coming on is my size.
“I thought we defended set-plays superbly well. We are not going to have it our own way all the time; we have to be patient.
“They set up in a good shape, made it difficult for us, difficult to play through, they frustrated us at times, but back to what we spoke about in previous years, they cannot do it for 90 minutes.
“I thought we just started to get them fatigued and started to take over when the first goal came. Then we had to dig deep, and this group can dig deep; they are capable of that, and they showed that tonight.
“They have won their last four home games and not conceded many goals, so to get the victory is really pleasing.
“It is quite a heavy pitch and lots of bobbles, so when we are trying to be precise with our passing, particularly the final third, some of our fast connections against a deep low block couldn’t quite come off at times, but the players didn’t get frustrated.”
Shrewsbury suffered a third consecutive league loss.
Boss Matt Taylor said: “The performance was good up until an error which is uncharacteristic for Marko.
“He has been brilliant since I have been here, and he has been a fantastic servant to the football club and that changed the game.
“The first goal in this league is hugely important, so they go on and we give away a second goal slightly naively.
“For large parts, we were excellent out of possession. We, of course, always want to be better with the ball, but in terms of effort and performance, really good.
“Up until that point (Marosi’s error), we dominated in terms of final third entries, corners and in terms of the areas of the pitch we want to be in.
“We haven’t made them territory advantages count, but we are playing against one of the best and biggest clubs in the league.”
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna endured ‘a mixed night’ after his side conceded a late leveller in a 2-2 draw with Rotherham.
Christ Tiehi’s injury-time strike ensured the points were shared just minutes after it looked like the Tractor Boys had nicked them through substitute Jack Taylor.
The Millers had led through Sam Nombe’s early strike, before Sam Morsy and Taylor turned the game around, and McKenna said: “I think there’s a lot of positives to take from where we were to where we ended up.
“You don’t want to concede early in the game against a team like Rotherham. It gave them momentum and atmosphere and something to hang on to. It made the challenge even bigger.
“We gradually took control of the game.
“There are frustrations at the end. We did not quite stick to our principles. It’s a situation we usually defend well from.
“It’s a mixed night. But I am sure it is something we will learn really quickly from.”
The result still leaves Ipswich in the top two, eight points clear of Leeds United and on an 11-game unbeaten streak.
“It’s much, much too early to think about gaps,” added McKenna.
“A point away from home on a Tuesday night after a tough game on Saturday and having conceded early is something you can take positives from.”
Rotherham ripped up the form book to go ahead in just the fourth minute when record signing Nombe slid in to tuck away Fred Onyedinma’s cross.
Ipswich responded on 19 minutes when Morsy was picked out by Leif Davis in plenty of space and had the time and ability to curl an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
It looked as though the points would be going back to Suffolk when Taylor diverted Sean Morrison’s attempted clearance into the net with just three minutes left to play.
But Tiehi’s late curler a minute into added time earned Rotherham the draw.
Millers manager Matt Taylor said: “I was so pleased we got something out of the game for the effort the players put in. We started the game really well and on the front foot.
“We were so naive to allow the space for the equaliser and at times we had to hold on against a very attacking team.
“Their second goal was a ricochet. For that to go against us was almost heartbreaking. Then you’re hoping for the ball to fall to someone and for them to keep their composure and Christ certainly did that.
“In the last couple of games we have shown character. We need to start picking up points but in terms of what we are showing, I am pleased.”
Shakhtar Donetsk delayed Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages after claiming a shock 1-0 win in their Group H clash in Hamburg.
Danylo Sikan headed the only goal in the 40th minute from a cross by Giorgi Gocholeishvili, while Shakhtar had a second effort from 18-year-old Newerton ruled out for offside.
The defeat ended Barcelona’s 100 per cent start to the group and enabled Porto to pull level on nine points at the top after they beat 10-man Royal Antwerp 2-0.
Evanilson’s early penalty and a late strike from Pepe sealed victory for the hosts and left the Belgians, who had Jurgen Ekkelencamp sent off in the 52nd minute, still hunting their first points.
Manchester City succeeded where Barca failed and duly booked their spot in the next stage after cruising to a 3-0 win over Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland’s 23rd-minute penalty sent them on their way and superb strikes from Phil Foden and Haaland again sealed victory over the Swiss side, who had Sandro Lauper sent off early in the second half.
Also in Group G, goals from Xavi Simons and Lois Openda proved enough to give RB Leipzig a 2-1 win at Red Star Belgrade.
Atletico Madrid served up another Champions League nightmare for Celtic with both Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata bagging braces in a 6-0 win at the Metropolitano.
Celtic were left incensed by the sending-off of Daizen Maeda after just 23 minutes following a VAR review of his challenge on Mario Hermoso.
Atletico’s win moved them top of Group E after previous leaders Feyenoord fell 1-0 at Lazio, for whom Ciro Immobile scored the only goal of the game in first half stoppage time.
Goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt proved enough for Borussia Dortmund to sink Newcastle 2-0 in Germany and move to the top of Group F.
Fullkrug scored in the opening period and Brandt’s effort 11 minutes from time dealt a potentially fatal blow to the Magpies’ hopes of progression to the knockout stages.
Paris St Germain lost top spot after a 2-1 defeat at AC Milan despite former Inter defender Milan Skriniar firing them in front after just nine minutes.
Rafael Leao equalised for Milan within three minutes and Olivier Giroud hit what turned out to be the winner five minutes into the second half.
Reading remain rooted to the bottom of League One and are now winless in eight matches after they were held to a scrappy 1-1 draw by Bristol Rovers at the SCL Stadium.
After a disjointed first half, Reading went in front in the 40th minute when Sam Smith drove home his first goal of the season.
Chris Martin levelled for Rovers in the 57th minute, but the game drifted towards a stalemate long before the end.
Rovers had made the first impression with a good run and shot from Aaron Collins that home goalkeeper David Button had to push away.
Reading barely threatened going forward and there was a three-minute delay after tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch as part of the ongoing home protests against Reading owner Dai Yongge.
On the resumption, Reading grew into the game and went ahead five minutes before the break when striker Smith rifled in a fine angled drive after Harvey Knibbs had dispossessed Ryan Woods.
Button saved smartly from Jevani Brown and Collins early in the second period, but Martin, a former Reading loanee, equalised with a well-struck rising effort past the keeper.
Neither side showed much creativity in going for the winner as the game petered out into a tame draw.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
